Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1887-04-28

/ pOrch-licsts mcmcnt watching hcf as
she bent abeve The flowers she was
humming a song TO hefselk so how and
koft Il blent with and seemed almost
part Of the Murmurous noise of bees
! plying since dawn their sugary traffic
there. Like the bees, too, she was pry-
ing into the flowers, parting the petals
with delicate touch as she gazed into
them with eyes that made tho fairest
one in all the beds seem tame.
John Earnings oyes, too. grew H.
minous, and smile cnme into his face
as hc saw her give little start. whch
she stirred half-open bloom and n bed
benourcd with pollen taiae scraihb-
ling ont. and, starting 10 lly away, fell
In the grass, dragged down with hon
~ and its thigh-borne gold. Then
his smile grew very tender, indeed.
when she stopped down. and, running
her fingers slowly into the grass un-
der the struggling bee, lifted her hand
mp with the littlo workman buzsing in
the pink hollow OF her ontspfoad palm
and held it ont before her hHurry
YOU little midget sho laughed, "hur-
ryl you ticklei" But the bee sobcrly
untanglcd his yellow legs and gave his
| Houry head couple Of rubbing
| pulls, that seemed likely to remove it
from his neck. before he vcntured into
the air; then he sprang out on his
| gatzy sails. and making arathcr doubt
ful voyage, landed in a flower ut the
foot of the walk.
"Bravol my littlo honcymanr' cried
the girl, clapping her hands and tnk-
ing up the sprinkling-pot she began to
shower the bright drops over the bios
SONS again,
You shame the clouls--you are so
generous" said John Earlng, coming
down the walk. From supplement-
ing them il looks like in the end YOU
might supplant them"
She turned quickly with n little cry
and the pink deepening IN her checks.
" OH she laughed. {" the clouds
didn't give them but n sup last night. "
/" see they were n little niggardly
with the Drops he said. perhaps
they were more lavish where no femi-
nine Ariel was apt to get up with the
sun and do their work for them"
"Oh, it wouldn't do for the clouds
10 depend upon my thoughtfulness
very often" she laughed. y was a
little nervous from the concert last
night, | think, and wakened early.
The birds were singing so cXtrava-
gantly | couldn't Sleep again, so rose
and Joined in the tuneful hubuh,"
II heard you, think, but did not
notice that any other bird was sing
ingr'
81 made more noise than theyl /
was fearful lest | should waken you,
so left OH my malin hvmn and came
ont here to play the cloud, as you
say"
"l am grateful for the motive, but
the hymn was very pleasant" he
laughed; indeed their hearts were so
light and the morning so fair they
could not choose but laugh. 81 doubt
not the flowers have rcturned thanks,
too, for noticed you were qdito an
efficient cloud; indeed, quite a comcly
bit OF fleece floating among the rain
bowsH' laughingly indicating the cnrv-
ing flowcr-bordeI with sweep OF his
tly from her hand and began to shove
them.
"Shall | thank you for that? You
are so fine this morning am not quite
sure that follow you," she laughed.
"Thcn | am surely insane" he
sighed; ''yct. for that matter. youth in
June believe is always slightly crazy.
Oh, l saw the pretty little favor you
did the bes! / must thank you for
that!'
"Ho had overloaded himself, poor
fellow"
''Yes, his stomach; he was a little
] pig when IL came to honey, / fear.
/ What if he had stung you? Most
creatures do when one does them good
in this world, they say"
mot bees. unless YOU hurt them,
nor people either, think, unless one
crushcs them Little In doing them
good
(Which Is usually the case, guess;
a sort of ignoblo rccomprnsc, | take
IT," and he sobcrci a little, looking
down at the bees about their feet
What droll little fellows they arr"
she said, STOPPING forward and watch
ing them.
"They are very business-likc aud
serious; when they enter one OF these
/ tiny ccrulean or YormilliOn restaurants
they proceed at once TO the tablet
They both fetched a little half-mus-
ing laugh as they watched.
'You must not speak irreverently Of
the flowers. she murmured, without
turning her eyes. Sometimes think
they arc the cars Of God and the bees are
Whispering and murmuring their graf
itude into them"
In that sentence she seemed TO come
nearer to him than ever before. lie
felt little thrill, as If their souls, Ike
two vases Of crystal so clear they
were invisible, had touched and Vi
brated.
"Ycs, yes" he half whispered, "that
Is beautiful | had not thought Of
that; bat sometimes had fancied they
were the mouths Of spirits whispering
10 us with perfume Of the hidden and
wonderful things that lie deeper than
our sight"
After that they were sobcrer, aud.
sauntering down the walk 10 the foot
Of the lawn. hey noted the shades and
bucs and chickering's in tho valley that
lay below them. A sight breeze was
moving the leaves OF an oak that hung
above them, and a thrush from a
noighboring vino-mattcd wall flew in
among the leaves and began his jocund
! iuting
"Ahl isn't he fne?'' said Celeste,
pausing and touching his arm TO stay
him and leaving her hand there with
pressure light as leaf as she looked
mp at the bird. They stood still a mo-
ment listening TO the clear ecstatic
song when John Earling. almost
trembling with tho hour, half whis-
pered
"lt is like n chain Of bubbles blown
of honey floating up into the skyl Yet,
II Is not so sweet and human rs the
song you sang last night. Celeste, nor
quite so glal, and his eyes came down
TO hers and a light passed between
them. Then the girl looked down at
the grass and close beside her foot a
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